The Republican Party may be in control of the House and Senate and President Donald Trump won the popular vote — but a columnist says the idea that he has been given a clear mandate is nonsense.
Writing for the Washington Post on Monday, Philip Bump said Trump is celebrating what he claims is overwhelming support for his plans, including an extensive overhaul of government. And he says winning the popular vote — albeit with a small number which can't be considered a "landslide," has given him a mandate.
Also Read: Trump didn't win — disinformation did
"This is where the 'mandate' claims come in: Sure, history and custom say one thing, but this is what the people want! Are you saying no to the people?" Bump continues.
The columnist then points to a recent CBS News poll that states the American people are firmly behind the agenda. However, when comparing CBS News to other polls asking similar questions, he can't help but notice differences in the way questions were asked and respondents answered.
On immigration, for example, the CBS poll asked: "Approve or disapprove of Donald Trump starting a national program to find and deport all immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally." Fifty-seven percent supported that.
Bump cites a Marquette Law School poll from October, which asked a "more nuanced" question and got a completely different result — six in 10 respondents did not support Trump's plan.
Trump hasn't magically "broken the pattern of stark partisanship here. He and his team are just using narrow majorities based on overwhelming support from his party to suggest that he has a more robust level of support," writes Bump. "Sometimes, he doesn’t even have that."
He said that, when asked about Cabinet appointees, the approval isn't great for Trump.
"Over the nine years that Trump has been a national political figure, he has repeatedly demonstrated an insistence on presenting himself as wildly popular, at times inventing metrics to prove the point," Bump closes.
"Now, though, there’s another use besides vanity. Trump has already gotten Republicans to roll over by demonstrating that Republican voters support him overwhelmingly, which they did. It seems clear that his insistence on a 'mandate' is, at least in part, an effort by him and his team to get everyone else to roll over, too."